[davidjay]

That 'leaf worn at eleven o'clock' nonsense is another recent invention and I would hazard a guess that the red and black colours represent, er, the red and black colours of a poppy. I'm not sure where the leaf comes from; it's another comparatively recent addition.

[The Red Arrow]

Looking back (60's-70's) they weren't common, my family looked upon them as ostentatious. Mind you, in those days poppies were only on sale in the week leading up to the 11th.

[mr angry manchester]

Looking back (60's-70's) they weren't common, my family looked upon them as ostentatious. Mind you, in those days poppies were only on sale in the week leading up to the 11th.

Correct, and at that time no one was hugely arsed about them either

[Andy McDandy]

You didn't need to, when you had a parent or grandparent who had been there.

[Boiler]

Looking back (60's-70's) they weren't common, my family looked upon them as ostentatious. Mind you, in those days poppies were only on sale in the week leading up to the 11th.

Pretty much my memory too; the poppy bought then was never worn but displayed on the breakfast room mirror, the 'stalk' was threaded into the chain that held it up.

[davidjay]

Looking back (60's-70's) they weren't common, my family looked upon them as ostentatious. Mind you, in those days poppies were only on sale in the week leading up to the 11th.

Correct, and at that time no one was hugely arsed about them either

My mum used to talk about the days when everyone would stop for two minutes at eleven am, but that was it.

[Cyclist]

I can remember a time when (most)
motor traffic stopped, and people on the street stopped at 1100 on the 11th of November to observe the silence. It was still happening in the mid-70s.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Looking back (60's-70's) they weren't common, my family looked upon them as ostentatious. Mind you, in those days poppies were only on sale in the week leading up to the 11th.

Correct, and at that time no one was hugely arsed about them either

My mum used to talk about the days when everyone would stop for two minutes at eleven am, but that was it.

I can remember standing in our back garden in Carshalton - 11 miles from Charing Cross - and all the traffic outside stopping. We could hear the guns beginning and ending the silence. This would have been before 1954.

[davidjay]

I can remember a time when (most)
motor traffic stopped, and people on the street stopped at 1100 on the 11th of November to observe the silence. It was still happening in the mid-70s.

I can't remember it then; not that it didn't happen in some places but from my experience it was a "Back in the good old days" thing.